Lister Institute’s Scientific Strategy
THE LISTER INSTITUTE’S RESEARCH STRATEGY
As a UK charity and a Member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), the Lister Institute believes that it is important that it should have, and make public, a research strategy. The ‘Research Strategy’ set out below was first developed in 2006 and was most recently updated in 2023. The Prize Fellowship scheme was last reviewed in 2017/18 and is now being reviewed again in 2023 (in accordance with section 11 of the Strategy). The Prize Fellowship scheme continues as the Institute’s only competitive award.
1. Charitable Objective
‘To further understanding and progress in preventive medicine by promoting excellence in biomedical research in the UK and Republic of Ireland’.
2. Background
A Research Institute
The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine has had a long and distinguished history of supporting biomedical research since its foundation in 1891 which essentially falls into two phases. Originally established as a research institute specialising in the area of ‘infections’ and their prevention by immunisation and other means it had the dual roles of both undertaking fundamental research and also of producing and supplying materials such as vaccines and antitoxins. The Institute continued in this mode until the early 1970s when increasing financial and regulatory pressures caused the closure of both its laboratories in Chelsea and its production Facilities at Elstree. The sale of its assets at Chelsea and Elstree established a capital fund for the Institute, the income from its investment producing a significant sum for annual expenditure. The change from an operational Institute to a provider of research grants marked the start of the second phase of the Lister’s funding of biomedical research in the UK, which continues to this day.
Lister Senior Fellowships
When it first became a funder of external research in 1980s, the decision was taken that the greatest contribution that the Lister could make was through the establishment of the Lister Senior Fellowship scheme which supported generously for five years, high quality individuals and their research, at a formative period in their careers. At the time this was a highly innovative scheme, testimony to which was the high quality of the Fellows and their subsequent achievements and contributions to the UK’s biomedical research effort. From its start in 1982 to its closure to new entries in 2002 ninety-five Fellows were supported. More details on the early history of the Lister Institute can be found in Leslie Collins’ fascinating history of The Lister Institute (1) and its subsequent supplements.
A new Funding Scheme
In 2002 the Lister was again faced with the task of developing a funding scheme(s) which fulfilled its charitable objectives, was both affordable and sustainable and met a need in the research environment. The view was that the Lister could only operate a single scheme which had a defined financial commitment but, importantly, one which replicated some of the characteristics which had contributed to the success of the Senior Fellowships. Amongst these were:-
- the support of high quality individuals at a crucial stage in their careers
- generous and flexible funding
- available to both science and medically trained individuals
- available within any appropriate research environment or establishment in the UK and the Republic of Ireland
- available across all disease types and research disciplines
- research which could potentially contribute to the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of disease
Against this background the Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowship scheme was devised and launched in 2004. It is currently the Lister’s only way of funding biomedical research and is therefore the sole arm of our research strategy.
3. Why the Lister Institute Funds Research
The Lister Institute funds research because it believes that the acquisition and advancement of knowledge is crucial to our understanding of health and disease, and also that the development and exploitation of these research outcomes will lead to new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.In addition, in order to maximise the impact of its funding of excellence in biomedical research, the Lister Institute intends that the Prizes it awards will be transformative for the careers of the people that receive them.
4. How the Lister Iinstitute Funds Research
The Lister Institute believes that research is driven forward by high quality individuals and the teams that work with them. Therefore identifying such key researchers and providing them with appropriate support at crucial stages in their careers is critical to the maintenance and development of a high quality and internationally competitive research community in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Consequently, the Lister targets its funding to the support of individual researchers.
The Lister further believes that any funding which it provides to individuals should be flexible in terms of how it is applied to the research activity, of sufficient value to ‘make a difference’ to the researcher’s activities, and also believes that the processes for application, review and award should be as un-bureaucratic as possible, commensurate with appropriate levels of scrutiny and evaluation.
The Lister is very much aware of the large number of agencies that support biomedical research in the UK (and the Republic of Ireland) and the variety of methods by which they do so. It also appreciates that there are many routes for the provision of salaries for high quality researchers. The Lister also appreciates that, of necessity, much of the research funding is prescriptive in terms of the area of research or the use of the monies. The Lister, therefore, wishes its own funding scheme to be complementary to this large ‘background’ funding and to enhance research opportunities by providing freedom to recipients in the use of its Prize award.
The Lister also wishes to ensure that any funding scheme is financially sustainable, does not build up future financial commitments and meets the Institute’s desire to match expenditure with income (derived from the return on the Lister’s investments). We also recognise that there may be opportunities for partnership with other agencies in broadening our funding scheme(s). This overall funding strategy will be achieved by the provision of Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowships which will make one-off awards to individuals to be spent on any aspect of their research activities, with the exception of personal salary. The Lister Institute will seek to ensure that the support provided through the Prize Fellowship scheme has a positive and transformative effect on the careers of the Prize winners. The Lister will also try to ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure as far as possible that the outcomes of their research are developed for public benefit.
The Lister also wishes to ensure that any funding scheme is financially sustainable, does not build up future financial commitments and meets the Institute’s desire to match expenditure with income (derived from the return on the Lister’s investments). We also recognise that there may be opportunities for partnership with other agencies in broadening our funding scheme(s). This overall funding strategy will be achieved by the provision of Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowships which will make one-off awards to individuals to be spent on any aspect of their research activities, with the exception of personal salary. The Lister Institute will seek to ensure that the support provided through the Prize Fellowship scheme has a positive and transformative effect on the careers of the Prize winners. The Lister will also try to ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure as far as possible that the outcomes of their research are developed for public benefit.
5. WHAT RESEARCH THE LISTER INSTITUTE FUNDS
The Lister Institute will support research in any area of biomedicine, or related discipline; there are no priority areas or diseases. The Lister anticipates that the knowledge gained from the research activity will lead to a better understanding of the disease state, its diagnosis, treatment or prevention. However we recognise that the full impact of any knowledge gained from research may be difficult to predict and that the timescale over which any widely applicable beneficial outcome might be achieved could be long-term and might be dependent on the outcomes of other research activities.
6. WHO THE LISTER INSTITUTE FUNDS
The Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowships will be available to any independent researcher (scientist or clinician) working in an eligible UK or Irish institution provided that their personal salary is secure, from another source, for a minimum of three years from receipt of the award. The recipient need not be a UK national but must have a position in a UK or Republic of Ireland institution for the duration of the award. There are no age restrictions, but the individual must, at the time of applying for the award, have a minimum of three and a maximum of ten year’s research experience post PhD/MD. The Lister Institute is keen to support scientists from a wide range of different backgrounds and circumstances. In order to achieve this, the Institute will show flexibility in the eligibility criteria to compensate for circumstances that may have limited research time such as full-time clinical training, career breaks, prolonged absence due to ill-health and parental leave or other caring commitments. The individual may also concurrently hold awards such as a fellowship or programme/project grant (s) from other organisations/agencies or be employed by them. The prize winner should, at the time of the receiving the award, be an independent research team leader – ie they undertake self-directed research, rather than carrying out another individual’s research programme. They may be at the start of their career as an independent research team leader or may have a more extensive track record in this role, although they may not be a full professor as the Lister Institute intends its funding to have a transformative effect on the careers of the individuals it supports. Recipients may be in tenured or non-tenured positions but would expect that if Prize winners are not tenured that their institution has explicit plans for evaluating them for tenure in the future. The Institute will look favourably on applicants who have shown the ability to lead team science, reaching out and bringing together, supporting and mentoring researchers in other laboratories, institutions or disciplines.
7. THE SUPPORT PROVIDED BY A LISTER PRIZE
We currently award around six or seven Prize Fellowships per year, each worth £300,000. The Prize money may be used to support any aspect of the winner’s research activities, other than to provide their personal salary (although the money may be used to ’buy out’ the individual from teaching or administrative duties). The Prize money is awarded as a single lump-sum to the winner’s host institution at the commencement of the award and may be spent over a five-year period. After discussion with the Director, extensions to the duration of the award may be given up to a maximum of 3 years (allowing for any career breaks).
The Institute also aims for the award of the Prize to provide benefits that stem from the recipient being a member of a Fellowship of other exceptional biomedical researchers. The Institute holds an Annual Fellowship Meeting for all is current and former Fellows where presentations are made by new, current and former Fellows on their research activities. This meeting provides unique opportunities for networking and mentoring between current Prize holders as well as with former Fellows. The Lister Institute also runs a Summer Studentship scheme to allow undergraduate students to undertake work in the labs of its current and former Fellows. Summer students are invited to present a poster describing their Lister-funded work at the Annual Fellowship Meeting.
8. WHERE THE LISTER INSTITUTE WILL FUND RESEARCH
The Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowships may be held by individuals holding positions in any UK or Republic of Ireland research institution, which is deemed ‘not-for-profit’, (this might be a university, a hospital clinical department, or Research Institute, whether independent or charity-funded). Where the research dictates, a period of the award may be spent working abroad (but not more than six months in any consecutive 12-month period and in total no more than one year over the course of the three years).
9. HOW THE LISTER MAKES FUNDING DECISIONS
The Lister Institute will select its Research Prize Fellows by assessment of written application and interview of short-listed candidates by members of its Scientific Committee. Members of the Scientific Committee will initially score all applications to generate a long-list of candidates whose applications will then be sent to national and international experts for detailed review. The selection of short-listed candidates by the Scientific Committee will be based on these reviews and its own assessments. Short-listed candidates will be interviewed by the Scientific Committee and, as a part of this process, will make a brief presentation.
The Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowships not only seek to recognise and support high quality research and future proposals but also to reward a significant contribution to the applicant’s research area, commensurate with their career stage and experience. Candidates are able to provide a supporting statement from their Head of Department (or equivalent). Applications are normally submitted in September for possible interview in the following May and commencement of any award in October. Precise details of the application process and eligibility criteria are provided here. The Lister allows re-application provided a candidate remains within the eligibility criteria.
10. HOW THE INSITITUE IS GOVERNED
Formal oversight of all the Institute’s activities rests with the Governing Body who may delegate elements of this to specialist committees and the Director. The Scientific Committee oversees the scientific and medical activities including making decisions about the award of the Research Prize Fellowships, whilst The Finance and Investment Committee has responsibility for the annual budget and the management, via specialist advisors, of the Institute’s investment portfolio.
The Institute’s income, and hence how much we can spend each year on the Research Prize Fellowships and any other awards, is determined by the performance of our investment portfolio. The portfolio is split between two highly reputable firms of investment managers who each oversee one half of the investments to maximise return commensurate with the degree of ‘risk’ determined by the Institute.
All members of the Governing Body, other Institute Committees, and former Fellows are Members of the Institute with the right to vote on key issues at the Institute’s Annual General Meeting. This is usually held alongside the Fellows Scientific Meeting.
The Institute constantly reviews what it does to ensure that our awards are relevant and continue to meet the needs of the research community. The history of the Institute illustrates our ability to change and adapt and we will continue to support research in innovative ways. We have travelled far in moving from the first laboratory in the UK producing anti-toxins and anti-sera to the current provision of ‘unrestrictive’ research funding to young researchers. As a medical research charity in the UK, the Institute does not work alone: we are a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and, as such, follow their advice and guidance on such matters as peer review, conflicts of interest and animal experimentation. In 2020 the AMRC audited the peer review process of its member charities and the Institute received an AMRC Certificate confirming approval of its review process.
11. THE TIMEFRAME FOR THE CURRENT STRATEGY
The Lister Institute’s scientific Strategy has been reviewed approximately every five years since the Prize Fellowship Scheme was established in in 2004. The Strategy was last reviewed formally in 2017/18 and is now being reviewed again in 2023. The key issues considered following review in 2023 are:
- clarification of the assumptions made about the impact of the scheme, the needs of the research community and the research environment
- eligibility of prize winners, with an emphasis on the transformative nature of the Prize on recipients
- that the Prize scheme is fulfilling its objectives and that the continuation of the scheme is justified
Once the Governing Body has satisfied itself that the scheme has fulfilled its objectives and the continuation of the scheme is justified, it will also consider the value of the prizes.
The next review should be in 2028.
REFERENCES
(1) Collier L., The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine: A concise history. The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine. 2000, Supplement 2004.
** Copies are available free of charge from the Institute’s Operations Manager